‘Know When to Walk Away’: Trump and Haley Call For Replacing McConnell After ‘Sad’ Freeze-Up

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) walks one day after freezing during a press conference, on Capitol Hill in Washington on July 27, 2023. Saul Loeb/Getty Images

GOP presidential candidates Donald Trump and Nikki Haley are calling for Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to step down as the Senate Minority Leader after he recently turned unresponsive while speaking to reporters.

During a July 26 press conference, Mr. McConnell, 81, appeared to freeze up for around 20 seconds after he began delivering remarks. He was helped down from the podium and taken to his office. Mr. McConnell appeared later on to finish the press conference. “I thought it was sad,” Mr. Trump said about the incident in a July 27 interview with Breitbart.

When asked whether he wants to see a new Republican leader in the U.S. Senate, Mr. Trump replied: “We have to have that. We have some people in the Senate that are fantastic and would be great at that position.”

Former president and 2024 presidential hopeful Donald Trump speaks at the Turning Point Action USA conference in West Palm Beach, Fla., on July 15, 2023. Giorgio Viera/AFP via Getty Images

As for who the 45th president thinks would be a good replacement as Senate leader, Trump did not give a specific name but mentioned four Republicans he said are doing a great job as lawmakers.

“I think Jamie Comer is doing a great job,“ he said, referring to Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), adding that Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) would also be a good candidate. ”You have a lot of people in the House doing a great job.“ Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), he said, ”is doing really well. He’s a tough cookie and he’s doing really well.“ Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), he added, ”has done really, really well. A lot of people like what she has to say—a lot of people.”

Mr. Trump’s former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who is now his rival for the GOP presidential nomination for 2024, also called for replacing McConnell. “We’ve got to stop electing people because they look good in the picture or they hold a baby well,” she said in an interview with CBS.

“We’ve got to stop electing people because we like them and they’ve been there a long time. That’s actually the problem. You need to have term limits because we need new ideas, new solutions.”

She added that Mr. McConnell, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), 90, President Joe Biden, 80, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), 83, “all of them [should] know when to walk away. We have huge issues that need new solutions. We need new generational leaders.”

“We appreciate your service. We appreciate what you’ve done. But this is why we will fight for term limits. We’ve got to get it done in America.”

Ms. Haley wants every lawmaker to take a mental acuity test as well. When asked whether Mr. Trump, 77, should also take the mental acuity test, Haley replied in the affirmative.

“Republicans have lost the last seven out of eight popular votes for president. That’s nothing to be proud of. We should want to win the majority of Americans. We’ve got to start going with a new generation so that we can do that.”

Age Limits For Lawmakers

Calls for imposing age limits on lawmakers have arisen not only from the Republican camp but also from Democrats. The move is largely being pushed by younger lawmakers who are frustrated at the power structures that allow older lawmakers to retain authority in the political sphere.

A poll by YouGov in January last year found that 58 percent of Americans wanted a maximum age limit for elected officials, with 39 percent wanting it to be 70 years, 24 percent opting for 60 years, and 23 percent saying 80 years.

The U.S. Constitution mentions the minimum age for the Senate and House but not the maximum. The average age of U.S. Senators at the time of the poll was 64, with House members having an average age of 58.

“Our analysis found that if senators over 60 were barred from holding office, 71 percent of current senators would be ineligible to serve. If the limit were 70, 30 percent would be ineligible. If it were 80, 6 percent would be ineligible.”

While those who want to impose an age limit insist that such a move would allow for fresh ideas to come forth in politics, critics say that older lawmakers bring in experience and wisdom that are crucial for positions of power.

In addition, senior lawmakers tend to have already developed a bigger reputation and larger donor networks, which play a key role in winning elections.

No Plans on Stepping Down

Though calls for his resignation have sprung up since the recent incident, Mr. McConnell has rejected the calls.

“Leader McConnell appreciates the continued support of his colleagues, and plans to serve his full term in the job they overwhelmingly elected him to do,” a spokesperson for Mr. McConnell said. He was reelected as the Republican Senate leader in January 2023. The next election for the post is scheduled for January 2025.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) speaks to reporters in Washington on Nov. 15, 2022. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Mr. McConnell was reelected to the Senate in 2020. His term, which began in January 2021, lasts for six years. Mr. McConnell has been in office since 1984, and took the position of Republican Senate leader in 2006.

Following the incident, an aide told reporters that the lawmaker had “stepped away for a moment” as he felt “lightheaded” during the conference. “He came back to handle Q and A, which, as everyone observed, was sharp.”

On March 8, McConnell had fallen during a private dinner, which led to him being admitted to a hospital for a rib fracture and concussion. He was discharged a week later on March 13 and had to attend inpatient physical therapy.

Earlier this year, Mr. McConnell became the Senate’s longest-serving GOP leader. In his GOP primary race in 2020, McConnell won 82 percent support.